The next morning was worse than a hangover made of glitter and group therapy.
Instead of making her scream last night, Kaleb and Rhiannan had instead fallen deeply asleep in each other's arms, This exhaustion having been to much for her to stay up. Kaleb gave her time to heal and healed her as she slept.
Rhiannan sat on a carved log, surrounded by a lot of muscle, fur, and very intense eyeballs.
Apparently, Kaleb's pack had a "sacred meet and greet ritual" which, in layman's terms, meant she was the goddess flavored main course on today's emotional buffet.
A circle of wolves some in human form, some shifted sat around her like she was a vision from a damn prophecy. Which, okay, maybe she was. Still didn't mean she liked being ogled like a sparkly cryptid.
One wolf approached, broad and silent with gray eyes like storm clouds. His name was Duane, the oldest warrior in the pack and Kaleb's former mentor.
"I once burned my left arm in dragon flame," he said quietly. "You remind me of that pain."
"…Thanks?" Rhiannan blinked. She didn't even know how to respond to that insane shit. Wolves were weird. She could dig it.
A smaller woman with vine tattoos up her arms grinned. Ivy, the herbalist and poison master. "I knew you'd be wild. Your energy sings like moonblood in a storm."
Rhiannan arched a brow. "That's either a compliment or a fantasy novel pickup line. Also odd seeing as my bloodline is actually MoonBlood." She grinned.
Then came Boone, a giant cinnamon roll of a shifter who looked like he wrestled bears for fun and baked cookies for therapy. "I made you scones," he said, holding them out nervously. "They're strawberry and rageberry."
Rhi took one. "If this is poisoned, I'll haunt you." She took a tentative bite and moaned in ecstasy, the sound causing Kaleb and Arwen who were standing nearby to both growl in unison staring at everyone around her.
Boone beamed. "Deal." and he slowly backed away as his alpha growled at him.
Next came Lira, Kaleb's cousin, a wiry, sharp tongued scout with scars on her knuckles and mischief in her eyes. "I don't trust you yet," she said.
"Perfect," Rhiannan replied. "Trust makes me itchy." The girls regarded each other intently.
By the time they got to the triplet warrior brothers, Fen, Ren, and Zen, Rhiannan was one sarcastic comment away from setting herself on fire.
"Goddess," Zen purred, shirtless and barefoot, "do you bless sparring matches with kisses?"
"Only if you want a concussion."
They laughed. She didn't.
Every single one of them was obsessed with her. It was exhausting. She was not built for fan clubs. Especially not ones made of wolves and wet dreams. She was tired already and hangry.
"I'm not your Luna," she muttered. "I'm just the bitch who fell through time and happened to glow."
"Close enough," Ivy winked.
Then.....
Howls.
High. Sharp. Urgent.
The air snapped. The earth rumbled.
Kaleb burst from the trees, eyes glowing. "Perimeter's breached. Raiders."
Arwen snapped to attention.
Rhiannan stood before anyone else, her magic singing in her blood, ready to be unleashed.
"Let's fuckin' dance." She growled.
The fight came fast and hard.
Smoke curled from the trees. Metal clanged. Screams split the morning.
Rhiannan launched into the fray, magic already sparking off her fingertips.
She saw them, invaders with burning brands and red cloaks. Clawed gauntlets. Twisted magic. They moved to flank two pups hiding behind a tree. Rhiannan sucked in a sharp breath and headed that way.
Not on her watch. No one died today.
She sprinted, leapt over a body, and slammed into the attackers like a meteor. Two pups huddled behind a tree, wide eyed. One attacker lunged toward them. Rhiannan locked eyes with the pups and mouthed, "RUN!" as she dropped down into the fray.
She didn't think.
She moved.
Her hand closed around his throat, magic flaring....
CRACK.
She ripped his fucking spine out. Right out of his body.
It came free in her hand, wet and steaming.
She stared at it, panting.
"Holy shit.....also fucking EW" she gagged as she wiped her hands on her leathers, trying to get the gore off.
Arwen would've clapped. Kaleb would be proud. She had ripped a man's spine out. So bad ass.
She turned, blew another attacker apart with a lightning bolt so strong it lit the sky, and then collapsed. She felt drained, and had definitely used to much magic and was about to pay that price.
Her body hit the dirt hard, stars blinking before her eyes.
The world went dark.
Warmth.
Steam.
The smell of pine, smoke, and…
Kaleb.
Her eyes opened slowly.
She was naked, limbs floating in a carved wooden tub surrounded by glowing stones. Kaleb knelt beside her, equally naked, water beading down his perfect chest as he dipped a cloth and ran it down her leg.
Her voice cracked. "Are you washing me?" She felt heat flare between her thighs and Kalebs nose flared as he grinned wickedly.
He smirked. "You passed out. Had blood in your hair. Couldn't let my goddess walk around crunchy." His gaze heated as it trailed across her creamy skin under the bubbles.
"I will fight you," she warned, standing up fast...and immediately regretting it. The world was spinning and she could not hold on.
Sudden dizziness. Her arms flailed. Soap flew and smacked Kaleb right in the eye. He caught her before she face planted into the bubbles, hopping back and forth howling, "Oooww AHHH I have soap in my eye!"
He placed her down gently and washed his eye out with water. She scowled at him, trying to cover her breasts with her arms, "That's what you get, perv! I'm NAKED, Kaleb!"
"So am I. That's what makes it fun." He flirted.
"You're gonna lose a nipple." She growled fiercely.
"Willing to risk it." He waggled his eyebrows up and down and Rhiannan snorted with laughter.
Her hands shoved at his chest, and his arms locked around her waist. She wriggled, trying to evade his grasp, but he just held tighter.
Their eyes met. Rhiannan felt a pull in her gut, something deep and magical. She sighed as she stared into his baby blues.
The tension snapped like a string pulled too tight for too long. He groaned as she stared up at him, breathing heavily.
His mouth crashed onto hers. Her soft lips tasting like the stars themselves as he lost himself in their kiss. It heated up fast...
And the bath turned into a battlefield.
Water splashed. Bubbles flew. He lifted her easily, setting her on the tub's edge, kneeling between her legs as his mouth found her throat, her collarbone, the space between her breasts. He sucked a taut pink nipple into his mouth and bit lightly, she hissed as her back arched, her body molding into his.
"You're not weak," he growled against her skin. "You're the storm that makes the gods weep."
She moaned, fingers tangling in his hair as he bit down lightly on her nipple again, teasing and biting all over her delicious small breasts.
"I thought you were calm," she gasped.
"I'm calm," he said, sliding his hand between her thighs, "right before I ruin you."
His fingers stroked her slick folds, teasing, testing. He pinched her throbbing nub and she sucked in air trying to breathe.
"You're soaked," he murmured, pressing his thumb harder into her clit as she shuddered.
"It's a BATH." She retorted smartly. "Duh."
"Don't lie to me." He growled. "This tight little Goddess cunt is dripping for ME. Say it. Now."
Rhiannans eyes hooded over as she brazenly looked up at him and bit her lip. "I'm wet for you..." she whispered into his ear.
He fell apart, growling and panting and fangs elongating as he prepared to bite and claim her. His wolf going wild pushing him to claim their mate.
She groaned as two thick fingers slid inside her, curling wickedly. Her hips bucked. Her hands clawed his shoulders as his mouth returned to her breasts, tongue laving, lips devouring.
Then he stood, lifted her like she weighed nothing, and laid her out on a thick fur rug by the fire.
His cock, huge, thick, already glistening, pressed against her thigh.
"Mate bond wants in," he growled. "Say the word."
"Do it." she gasped wildly.
He slammed into her, hard and deep, and at the same time leaned in and locked his fangs into her throat, claiming her fully.
She screamed. He held her that way, by the throat as he slammed into her.
Kaleb snarled, fucking her with slow, brutal precision, each thrust shoving her higher. Her body burned. Magic flared. She felt the bond sear into her flesh, a glowing wolf mark on her ribs, beneath the curve of her breast. He removed his fangs from her throat and his eyes were wild. He lost control, fucking her like he was rutting her.
She came violently, back arching, crying out as her stars exploded again.
Kaleb followed with a roar, thrusting once, twice, then spilling inside her with a guttural growl.
The room pulsed with magic.
The bond was sealed.
And Rhiannan?
She was ruined. Satisfied. Glowing.
She curled into his chest, panting.
He kissed her forehead.
"Two down," she murmured. "Three to go." She groaned. He stared at her for a moment, absorbing this new information. Multiple mates. He wasn't the best at sharing. He sighed.
She giggled, "I'm going to need more baths."
He grinned against her hair. "And I'm going to need fewer clothes, and more patience my goddess."